1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a board game. More particularly, it relates to a board game in which players use letters provided in the form of letter tiles to form words for which points are awarded to the individual player.
2. Prior Art
A large variety of word based games are ones which can be played by one or more players. Many such games are based on a crossword type game board that allows players to score points using parts of the prior players words. Such games require a large vocabulary and the forward thinking of a chess player in order for a player to become adept and, therefor, favor players who possess a large and varied vocabulary and can plan many moves ahead.
Such vocabulary requirements and the concentration ability to plan ahead are not traits possessed by children and, as such, are not popular with them. Additionally, such word based games require such planning and strategy as to be more work than play and not a popular form of recreation to those seeking a fun diversion during times of rest and relaxation.
Another limiting factor of such games is that they generally only allow the players to score points. Thus, the players that are more adept at offense or possess the better planning and language skills are at an advantage. Generally, there exists no way in such games to affirmatively engage in defensive moves or actions that will lower the other players obtained score. Still further, because of the extreme differences in the vocabulary abilities of adults or parents, and that of children, there is little incentive for children to play with adults in most such word games.
Consequently, there exists a need for such a word game that is easy to play, has few rules, and allows players of all abilities a relaxing and entertaining endeavor during recreation and relaxation periods. Such a game should allow play between adults with varied vocabulary levels and should not require an overly large amount of forward planning by the participants. Children, too, would benefit by such a game in that they could play with each other and in many cases be able to compete with adults if the rules were simple and the playing field leveled by such rules. Such a game would also provide in the rules for the ability to make defensive moves to allow a player to have the opportunity to reduce the score of an opponent.
The present invention, named ALPHACONQUEST, overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages and shortcomings by providing a method of play that has few rules requiring advance planning by the players. Additionally, it allows players with higher levels of vocabulary skills the ability to score higher points by initiating words, while concurrently giving those with lower levels of such skills the opportunity to score bonus points from building off the words of the more skilled player. Players are also afforded an opportunity to play defense to reduce the score of opponents.
The game herein disclosed also allows players of all levels of verbal skill to effectively play together. Players with higher verbal and reading abilities can score larger by initiating words on the board for increased point scores. Players with lower vocabulary abilities can score bonuses by adding to already played words, and achieve bonus points and bonus letter tiles that can negate the other players scores. Players can also help even the score with an opponent by earning bonus tiles which afford the opportunity to negate the score of an opponent or to use as xe2x80x9cwild cardsxe2x80x9d in the formation of words.
In the preferred embodiment of ALPHACONQUEST herein disclosed, players compete using a defined number of letter tiles representing the alphabet of the language in which the game is being played. Because of the game""s simple rules and board types, it can easily be played in any language and such is anticipated. The embodiment herein described is that of the English language embodiment and the letters of the English alphabet. The letter tiles are played upon a provided board and the player receives a defined number of points for each such play. Bonuses can be achieved through playing longer words.
To begin the game, the rotation or order of the players is decided by two to five players randomly drawing letters from a container holding a provided collection of letter tiles representing all of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet. The player drawing the lowest letter in the order of the alphabet used goes first, the other players following a next in an in-order rotation of seated players around the game board conventionally in a clockwise fashion. Players then initially choose twelve letter tiles from the provided container and place them on a rack in front of the player""s respective position around the provided game board.
One possible game board features twenty-six horizontal rows of boxes drawn upon the board. Each such row contains thirteen letter tile sized boxes. The first box in each row being that of a letter of the English alphabet in the conventional order starting from the top of the game board. The letter contained in the first such box of the row is considered the master letter of that row with their being a total of twenty-six master letters in the English alphabet.
The game board also features twelve vertical columns of squares. A first column being that of the aforementioned master letters and then the twelve vertical columns situated to the right of the master letters and thereby determining the number of playing spaces or squares adjacent to each master letter. The playing spaces determine where letters may be laid and hence where the game may be played. Each master letter would therefor have twelve spaces or squares to the right of that master letter in which letter tiles may be played.
Each of these vertical columns are labeled at the top of the respective column with a zero through eleven. This numerical label thereby identifies and determines a multiplier for points achieved on a word spelled to the right of one of the master letter, depending upon which column the last letter of the word occupies. This multiplier multiplies the score of the word by the factor of the multiplier.
Also included on the game board are colorized columns to award additional bonuses to players achieving word endings in these colorized columns. The columns designated with the multiplier seven, eight, or nine are colorized in a first separate color, in the current mode orange, to indicate that a bonus is awarded for a word long enough to end in these columns. The multiplier columns designated by the multiplier ten and eleven are also colorized with a second different color to signify that words long enough to end in these columns achieve a different bonus to the player accomplishing the task. In this case the second color would be maroon to differentiate from the first. Of course the colors used in the board manufacture could differ so long as they are different from each other and from the color of the main board itself.
The different bonus points achieved by the multiplier and by the differing colored columns act to provide a number of twists and player skill leveling where players of unequal vocabulary skills are playing. A player who plays the initial word in a horizontal row, gets four points for using the master letter of that row, plus one point for each letter tile laid, with the sum of the master letter points and the letter tile points being multiplied by the factor in the multiplier in the multiplier column of the last letter of the word. Other players may add to the word but will not receive the four points for the master letter tile when multiplying the total number of letter tiles by the multiplier in the new column where the word would end. This gives an advantage to the player who initiates the word in the horizontal row using the master letter in that the master letter is worth four points toward the word total and that four points is multiplied by the multiplier factor at the end of the initial word.
An equalizing factor for those players unable to initiate words due to vocabulary or other differing abilities exists. By adding to words already laid down, the subsequent player receives the value of the tiles laid with only one point for the master letter, but multiplied by a larger multiplier factor in the column where the new word ends.
Additionally, as noted earlier, the multiplier columns at the opposite end of the horizontal row from the master letter are colorized. This colorization creates a first and second colorized zone that signifies additional bonuses to a player who is able to terminate a word in one of these zones.
The first colorized zone awards the player ending a word therein a twenty point bonus on top of the score awarded after the word total is multiplied by the multiplier factor of columns seven eight or nine. Consequently the player would get the total of the points for the length of the word, times the multiplier factor, plus an extra twenty points.
The second colorized zone awards the player ending a word therein with a forty point bonus on top of the multiplied word score, and, a special letter tile called the CONQUEROR tile. This special tile has two optional purposes used at the discretion of the player possessing it. First, it may be used as a xe2x80x9cwild cardxe2x80x9d in place of any letter of the alphabet in the forming of any word, or, second, it may be used defensively. In the second mode, the Conqueror tile may be laid atop a previous word laid by another player to negate the entire score the previous player received from that word. The Conqueror tile is the most prized bonus that a player can have due to the ability to make defensive moves with the tile to negate a score, or to use it as a wild card in the formation of a word. It is a great equalizer amongst players since it may be used by one player to reduce the total score of another player.
One final rule also allows for continued play when letters to form words may become short near the end of the game or when a player lacks the ability to form a word using a master tile as a starting point. As long as a player can form an entire word from the tiles on the players rack, that player may lay the word in any horizontal row adjacent to the master letter in that row. The master letter need not be part of the word formed, however, when the word formed is multiplied by the multiplier factor in the column in which it ends, the points for the master letter that was not used are not added to the sum of the points for the word and only one point for each tile is summed up to be multiplied.
Once a player places his tiles and completes a word, he then draws the number of tiles necessary to bring the total number of tiles he possesses back up to twelve. Another player then begins his turn.
The end of the game occurs at the earlier of when all the tiles are played, or, when no player can form any new word or add to any played word with the tiles in their possession.
As can be seen, awarding more points to a player who can begin a word using a master letter and use long words to begin with gives an advantage to players with a large vocabulary. However, that advantage is equalized by the ability of less skilled players to extend the words into one of the colorized columns and obtain bonus scores and ultimately the ability to negate the prior score of another player with a bonus tile or to use that tile as a wild card to form a word. Such a give and take will allow for a constant struggle between the participants of the game for the lead and eventual win.
Two additional embodiments are game boards containing variations on the twenty-six master letter version. Rather than containing all of the letters of the English alphabet, or, twenty-six master letters, one game board would contain only vowels, or, in the English alphabet version, five master letters, and the other game board would contain only consonants as master letters, or, in the English alphabet version, twenty-one master letters. The game would continue to be played in the fashion set forth, inclusive of master letter points, multiplier points, and the awarding of Conqueror tiles. Such game boards might be used to teach children to find words that begin with vowels or consonants and would thus help to improve vocabulary skills.
There also exists the possibility of additional game boards which would contain any number of master letters in conjunction with multiplier columns in excess of, or fewer than, the twelve multiplier columns (zero through eleven) already described. One such game board, in the English alphabet version, would contain twenty-six master letters and twenty-one multiplier columns (zero through twenty). Game play would continue in the fashion set forth, however, bonus points might be awarded at ten points for words ending in the multiplier columns six through eight, twenty points for words ending in the multiplier columns nine through eleven, forty points for words ending in the multiplier columns twelve through fourteen, sixty points for words ending in the multiplier columns fifteen through seventeen and one hundred points for words ending in the multiplier columns eighteen through twenty. The Conqueror tiles would be awarded for words ending in certain columns determined before the start of play. Game boards containing multiplier columns in excess of twelve might be suitable for the experienced, or champion, players.
A game board could also contain only six multiplier columns (zero though five) with bonus points being awarded at five points for words ending in the multiplier column two, ten points for words ending in the multiplier column three, fifteen points for words ending in the multiplier column four, and twenty points for words ending in multiplier column five, and with a Conqueror tile awarded for words ending in column five. This game board might be suitable for children players or for those seeking a shorter game play time.
Any game board could be constructed so that the master letters run along the top of the game board from left to right, with the multiplier columns extending from top to bottom along the side of the board. In this version, the words played would extend from top to bottom rather than from left to right. Versions of the game can also be produced in any number of languages and such is anticipated. Of course, the alphabets of other languages may have more or less letters or different orders of presentation of the alphabet. This might require more or less rows depending on the number of letters of the alphabet in the language in which the game is played. However, the letter in the first box of each row would be considered the master letter of that row for game purposes.
All game board versions preserve the original intent of the game which is to allow play between people with varying levels of vocabulary ability, such as children and adults, by providing a means for adding on to words already formed, and a means for affirmatively engaging in defensive moves or actions that will lower the other players obtained score.